Fifth Sunday of Easter10:00 am Worship

Sunday, April 29

Our children and youth choirs are retelling the story of Creation! Join us in worship this Sunday at 10 am as our youngest members share their musical gifts with us.

This Week

Hands-on Mission Project

Saturday, April 28

The Board of Outreach and Social Justice (BOSJ) has arranged for Little River UCC to participate in the region-wide Potomac Watershed Cleanup on Saturday, April 28, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. LRUCC's site will be our local Accotink Creek in Eakin Community Park, starting at the Woodburn Road bridge. At its closest point, Accotink Creek is only a few hundred yards from church and is bordered by the lovely Accotink Creek Trail. To drive to our meeting point, take a right on Little River Turnpike, go 0.5 miles and turn right on Woodburn Road (before Exxon station). Bear right past the fire station to continue on Woodburn. Just before crossing the stream, turn right to park along Spicewood Drive. Please dress for walking in the woods, with long sleeves, long pants, and sturdy footwear. If you have them, wading gear and rakes also help, since much of the trash is in the water. Please RSVP or direct any questions to
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.

Spring Children's Choir Production

Sunday, April 29

Join the Salt of the Earth and Joyful Noise choirs as they retell the story of Genesis through scripture, song, instruments, movement, and poetry. It is not a musical, but rather a scriptural reading dramatized with musical vignettes. The presentation will highlight music and speech created by the children alongside published works. This Orff Schulwerk approach to the presentation is grounded in experiential learning and developmentally appropriate improvisation, which encourages the youth to connect with their inner creativity and deepen their musicianship. It will feature our newly purchased xylophones, metallophone, hand drums, and other non-pitched percussion instruments, which were purchased with special funds from the music committee. The Genesis retelling (which will be named by the children in the coming week) will also allude to our personal relationship with nature and our responsibility for its care. The children have even devised their own stewardship advice to give the congregation as the finale to the program. We hope that you will join us for this exciting event!

LRUCC Meditation Group Meeting

Sunday, April 29

Please join the Little River Meditation group on Sunday, April 29 at 9:00 am, in the Archival/Historical Room (L6) as we explore meditation as a contemplative practice that helps to quiet the mind. We will have a brief guided meditation followed by sharing about the experience. We will continue to meet every other Sunday throughout the year. Questions? Please contact
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.

Racial Justice Coalition (RJC) Meeting

Sunday, April 29

The Racial Justice Coalition will meet this Sunday, April 29, at 11:15 am (following morning worship) in Room 8. The discussions will address updating coalition activities and a focus on school-to-prison pipeline. All are welcomed.

Next Week and Beyond

Monday Morning Bible Study - The History of Christianity Part II: From the Reformation to the Modern Megachurch

Monday, April 30

Monday Morning Bible Study continue on April 30 at 10:00 am, with the course taught by Molly Worthen, Assistant Professor of History at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Worthen received her B.A. in History as well as her M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Yale. Topics are: Zwingli and Calvin in the Reformed Tradition, and the Anabaptist Radicals.

First Friday: May the 4th Be With You

Friday, May 4

Join us for First Friday: May the 4th Be With You on May 4 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm.

The cost is $10 per child, with a family maximum of $25. Registration forms are available at http://bit.ly/lruccfirstfriday. If you’ve already completed a registration form for the 2017/2018 program year, please email
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by Wednesday, May 2 to let us know your child(ren) will be attending.

First Friday is a kids' night out program designed to give parents an evening to themselves. Volunteers provide creative and exciting entertainment for the children in a safe and fun atmosphere at the church. First Friday is for children aged six months through 12 years. All children in our community are welcome, whether or not their families attend Little River UCC, so spread the word and make your plans!

Congregational Listening Session

Sunday, May 6

On Sunday, May 6, the church will hold a congregational listening session in the Choir Room after worship, starting at 11:30 am. This continues our practice of holding open-ended sessions for the church leadership to be in direct conversation with the wider congregation. At this meeting, we will discuss current issues of importance, such as the delicate balance between security and hospitality at Little River. Moderator John Mingus looks forward to seeing you there and to hearing from you at the session. All are welcome!

Book Group

Sunday, May 6

It’s that time again! The Little River Book Group is meeting on Sunday, May 6 at 11:30 am in Room 7 to discuss A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles. Life takes a dramatic turn for Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, an aristocrat who is sentenced to house arrest in the elegant Metropol Hotel in Moscow for his association with a poem that falls suspect with the new Bolshevik government in 1922. Accustomed to the finer things in life, Count Rostov must adjust to very different circumstances after he is sentenced to “imprisonment” in a cramped room in the attic of the exclusive hotel. As the novel unfolds he learns much about what is important in his life, forging special relationships with others in the hotel, assuming a working role in the hotel’s exclusive restaurant, and acting as a surrogate father for a friend’s child who is dropped off in his care. Author Amor Towles captures the metamorphosis of his protagonist against the backdrop of a Russia convulsed by the changes wrought by a communist government. All are welcome whether you have read the book or not.

Food Pantry Reminder

Sunday, May 6

On Sunday, May 6 and every Communion Sunday we invite your gifts of non-expired, non-perishable staple food and baby items, which are placed in our church’s FISH (For Immediate Sympathetic Help) pantry and used to help the hungry in our community. Food is distributed by FISH; to local charities including Food for Others, Alternative House, and Thrive DC; and to individuals who ask for assistance from the pastoral staff.

Individual pre-packed bags of food are prepared for use by FISH and church staff to respond to immediate needs. A bag of food includes: two boxes of cereal, one can of fruit, two cans of vegetables, one canned meat product, two boxes of pasta, one jar/can of pasta sauce, dry milk, and a jar of peanut butter. These items and paper or reusable grocery bags to pack them in are always appreciated. Thank you for your ongoing generous donations to the pantry.

Second Saturday Yoga

Saturday, May 12

Beginning in May, Little River UCC will host yoga classes on the second Saturday of each month. New member Irena Pavlin, who has been teaching yoga for over 10 years, will offer a Gentle Yoga class from 8:30-9:15 am and a Flow Yoga class from 9:30-10:45 am. Gentle Yoga is a calming, stress-relieving type of yoga focused on gradually stretching and strengthening the body, while Flow Yoga is more vigorous. Both classes will emphasize mindful breathing and are open to adults of all yoga skill levels. Classes will be held in the social hall. Please bring your own yoga or exercise mat. Contact Irena at
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if you have additional questions.

Tea and Talk: A Time to Connect

Sunday, May 20

Plan to join the Women’s Ministry team and other women of Little River for a celebration of the many ways important nurturers influence our lives, including ups and downs, renewed and altered connections, and joys and sorrows.

Gather with us for Tea and Talk on Sunday, May 20, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm in Room 8. A sign-up sheet will be at Bunny’s welcome desk in the foyer. Please let us know you can come and can bring finger food to share. We hope many of you will join us for this special program.

Honoring our Graduates

Wednesday, May 30

On Sunday, June 3, we will honor members of our church family who graduated this spring or have done so since last June. This includes graduates from high school, college, technical school, or graduate school. If that describes you or a family member, please notify the church office in writing (
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) as soon as possible. Please include the graduate’s name, school and degree, relationship (if not a Little River UCC family member) and, for high school graduates, whether they will continue their education, military service, etc. Also, please let the office know about any address changes for graduates listed in the church directory. Please email this information to the office before Wednesday, May 30.

More Church News

Stewardship Committee Meeting Update

The Stewardship Committee met on April 19 at the church. We debriefed on the Ministry Board meeting and Treasurer reports and settled on an exciting theme – as well as imagery and messaging – for the 2018 campaign. We also set a date for the Silent Auction to help raise funds for general operations (stay tuned for further information!). Meanwhile, the team continues to acknowledge gifts to the church and field requests for special offerings. The Stewardship Committee’s next meeting will be May 14.

Board of Christian Education Meeting Update

The Christian Education Board met on April 19. We would like to encourage anyone who knows a student (high school, college, or graduate school) who will graduate in 2018 to let the office know. We will recognize graduates in church on June 3, Celebration Sunday. We will also honor church school teachers on Celebration Sunday. On Sunday, June 10, we will hold a recruitment day for summer Sunday School teachers. This will also be an opportunity for members and friends to get a sneak peek at the Sunday School curriculum for the next program year.

Board of Deacons Meeting Update

On Tuesday, April 24 the Deacons held their monthly meeting. Topics we discussed included the Installation of Pastor Alexis on June 3; on-going conversation with the Trustees about Church Safety; and Coffee Teams. Coffee teams are a great way to get to know your fellow parishioners and generally teams only serve once every three months. Many Coffee Teams are looking for members and if anyone is interested in joining a team, please see Bruce Summers or any deacon. We also discussed planning for Pentecost.

Book Sale THANK YOU!

The Arts Committee would like to thank everyone for their generous donations to our book sale this past weekend. We had many, many fantastic books and we hope it will please everyone that the remaining books were picked up by the Salvation Army this week. The remaining children's books have already gone via Judy Moats to the Fairfax County Sheriff's Department for use at their supervised visitation center and for distribution to foster children and shelters. In addition, we could not have done this without the fantastic help of our volunteers who helped move books, set up the sale, and take it down on Sunday, including a number of young helpers too! In addition to all of our church members, family and friends attending the sale, we had 50 brand new faces come to the event, including one who returned the next morning for church. Given that so many of us--who vowed not to--bought books ourselves, it will take about 10 years to read all the new ones we purchased. HAPPY READING TO ALL!

Display of United States Flag at Little River UCC

A request has been made to place a 4x6 foot United States Flag in a floor stand in a corner of the atrium near the entry doors. Considerations, con and pro, for the placement of the flag in Little River have been: (con) "separation of church and state", versus (pro) the "significance of the flag's presence." This request will be set for a majority vote in a future congregational meeting. For background information on this request, you may contact
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.

Screening of the Documentary, "Solitary: Inside Red Onion State Prison," and Panel Discussion

The Board of Outreach and Social Justice (BOSJ) would like to let you know about this interesting event coming up on Sunday, May 6, at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Arlington (4444 Arlington Blvd.). The event is co-sponsored by Interfaith Action for Human Rights (IAHR) and Amnesty International of Northern Virginia. The afternoon will begin at 12:30 pm with a light lunch, followed by the HBO film "Solitary" about Red Onion State Prison in Wise County, VA, and a panel discussion with IAHR board member Kimberly Snodgrass, whose son Kevin was in solitary confinement for several years and is still at Red Onion, and Johnny Perez, Director of the US Prisons Program at the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. This is a good opportunity for you to see the entire film "Solitary" if you haven't yet done so. Please help us spread the word by sharing the flyer at the back of the bulletin this week and posting on social media. Here is a Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/events/813907588794960/.

Little River United Church of Christ8410 Little River TurnpikeAnnandale, VA 22003